Wiki: Mindfulness Meditation

You may or may not be aware of the Creating a Mindful Society conference coming up this Fall. If you feel that you would benefit from knowing about this, or have friends who would, please share this page with them.

Dr. Daniel Siegel gives a talk at Google highlighting “mindsight”. The goal of mindsight is to elevate personal understanding of our thoughts, feelings, and memories.

Take a moment and enjoy this information regarding how Mindfulness ties into Neuroplasticity. Dr. Dan Siegel gives his thoughts and experiences with Mindfulness and Neuroplasticity in his illuminating video below.

Applying mindfulness to daily activities doesn’t have to be a painful task.  These 9 simple steps can be applied to anyone’s daily routine.  Something this simple can increase mindfulness and improve other facets of life. Article Source: PsychCentral Enjoy. ~ Marsha You may have heard about the hot topic of bringing mindfulness into the workplace [...]

Rockefeller University researchers conducted a rather interesting study determine how young brains change in response to negative social situations.

This is a wonderful article from Greater Good – The Science of a Meaningful Life.  Accepting the truth about ones’ self isn’t easy, and we’d really rather feel special all the time.  Achieving satisfaction by putting others down, both overtly and covertly is just a temporary fix.  Kristin Neff believes that self-compassion is the ultimate [...]

A firsthand account of the effects Mindfulness Meditation can have on anyone’s life, if approached, well, mindfully.   Take a moment to read this inspirational story. Article Source: brainline.org Enjoy, ~ Marsha For almost six years after her car crash in 1993, Melissa Felteau expended much of her energy wanting things to be different from [...]

The nightly news is full of horror stories, and rightly so, if ratings is the payoff.   Sometimes we seem to get lucky, and tune in at the right time to hear something inspirational.  These stories are soon lost in the noise… What if the focus shifted instead to spreading stories of good will and [...]

This is a list of misconceptions that have risen with the increased popularity of  mindfulness teachings. Take a minute and read through these and pass on the information! Article Source: Mindfulness For All Enjoy, ~Marsha Mindfulness meditation is becoming more and more popular every day as an increasing number of people around the world are [...]

Chade-Meng Tan has two amazing videos from the Wisdom 2.0 Conference where he talks about wanting to create world peace in his lifetime. “Imagine taking a course at work and having it change your life” — from Chade-Meng Tan, the official “Jolly Good Fellow” at Google. Emotional intelligence in the corporate world — “success with [...]

Corporations are becoming more aware and interested in the use of Mindfulness techniques in the work environment. These practices need to be shared and utilized so that everyone can experience the benefits. Here are a few Mindfulness practices from Norman Fischer’s book, The Mindfulness Revolution in this article. Enjoy, ~Marsha Barry Boyce, Editor for Shambhala Sun [...]

Hooray for Richie Davidson’s team — not only an excellent journal article on mindfulness research and neuroplasticity, but also not published behind the usual subscription/paywall. Article From: NCBI Article Credit: Slagter HA, Davidson RJ, Lutz A. Enjoy, ~ Marsha Abstract Although the adult brain was once seen as a rather static organ, it is now clear that [...]

From the very wonderful Sharon Salzburg, one of my favorite meditation teachers: Article From: The Huffington Post Enjoy, ~ Marsha I’ve always said that lovingkindness and compassion are inevitably woven throughout meditation practice even if the words are never used or implied, no matter what technique or method we are using. Everyone’s mind wanders, without [...]

Rick Hanson, PhD is a fellow neuropsychologist with keen interests in mindfulness and meditation — I wish he weren’t on the opposite coast from me, as we obviously share a lot of common approaches to psychological well-being. By Rick Hanson, Ph.D. Article from The Huffington Post Enjoy, ~ Marsha This series of posts has used the [...]

From the Huffington Post: Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, often called the happiest man alive, recently sat down with ABC News’s Dan Harris to discuss happiness clichés, the benefits of meditation and why he never has a bad day. Although Ricard laughs at the notion that he could be the happiest of the planet’s six billion people, [...]

What an amazing meeting of the minds – and brains – of some of the pioneers and leaders in neuroscience, emotions, and mindfulness! By Roundtable Participants Article From Tricycle Enjoy, ~ Marsha Since 1987 the Dalai Lama has met biennially with small groups of Western scientists to talk about the nature of mind and reality, [...]

Mindfulness therapy — in the form known as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)– demonstrates greater efficacy than antidepressant medications for the prevention of a depression relapse, according to new data. More and more evidence, studies getting better and better – this is definitely a good trend. However, as always, read with a critical eye… Article from [...]

An interesting perspective on having your feelings, but not getting “hijacked” by them. Chade-Meng Tan is Google’s Jolly Good Fellow (“yes, it is my official job title”), and was formerly an engineer – one of the first at Google. He’s currently writing a book while on leave from his position as head of Google University’s [...]

We’ve all experienced personal breakthroughs in our mediation practices.  Sometimes, these moments of realization can throw us completely out of balance.   Confusion and fear are natural reactions to this situation,  and working through it slowly, but positively will keep you moving forward.  Sometimes you just need to rest. Enjoy, ~ Marsha I’ve not been [...]

I found this article at ShambalaSun.com which is one excellent source for information on Mindfulness Meditation, and tips for the beginning meditator.   The writer, Diana Winston, outlines some of the most common obstacles people encounter when first attempting to integrate meditation into their daily routine.  The truth is that we’ve all encountered these “hardships” while [...]

This article comes to us from the Huffington Post, and is an excellent resource for folks interested in learning more about Mindfulness Meditation. Author Credit: Susan Kaiser Greenland : Author, The Mindful Child, Co-Founder Inner Kids Foundation Meditation looks like the simplest thing in the world. After all, what could be easier than sitting on a [...]

By Susan Kaiser Greenland In my humble opinion, bringing the transformative practice of mindful awareness to children, teens and their families could revolutionize the world as we know it. There are great educational programs that teach valuable life-skills cradle to grave. But it’s tough to use those life-skills in a crisis or other difficult situation [...]

This is written by Ron Alexander – adapted from his newest book, Wise Mind, Open Mind: Finding Purpose and Meaning in Times of Crisis, Loss, and Change (New Harbinger Publications, 2009). The majority of my clients resist mindfulness meditation at first, although the time commitment is small and the payoff is enormous. One insisted that [...]

More from Dan Siegel, MD — author of The Mindful Brain and Mindsight, and my #1 neuroscience-meets-relationships hero. by Rick Heller Daniel Siegel is a psychiatrist and author. His 2007 book, The Mindful Brain, is a scientific take on the practice of mindfulness, which is often defined as “non-judgmental attention to the present moment.” Siegel’s [...]

How going it alone brings couples together Author Credit: Christine Meinecke, PhD Going it alone is not what most brides and grooms envision on their wedding day.  We picture a lifetime of togetherness.  Expect to meet each other’s needs.  Hope never to feel lonely again. Of course, opportunities for togetherness are chief among the benefits of love and marriage.  If, however, [...]

Goldie Hawn talks about education, children and mindfulness, and brings in researcher Dan Siegel to show the scientific side of these important ideas.

As a psychologist, I see people in my practice all the time who complain that the thrill of sex dies down after awhile. It gets, well, routine. Same-old, same-old. Going through the motions. Sometimes, they get around to asking what they can do to spice things up. “Yes, there is,” I say. Their eyes get [...]

Mark Brady, PhD is one of my favorite bloggers about social neuroscience, about raising our kids more mindfully, and healing our own minds/brains: The Golden Rule of Social Neuroscience February 27, 2010 by Mark Brady Shortly after I graduated from high school, I took a job as a drill press operator in a funky machine [...]

A short but sweet blog post by my friend, Elisha Goldstein, PhD. There is no question about it, the interest in Mindfulness-Based Interventions to work with people experiencing a variety of “disorders” and also in healthy individuals is growing at a rapid pace. There has been research with psychological issues such as stress, anxiety, depression, [...]

Frans de Waal’s work with primates fascinates me. In this clip, he talks with Carl Zimmer of Discover Magazine about how empathy is not something we “decide” to be — that we are able to empathize with the feelings of others because of an involuntary physiologic response. (I have always had a tinge of regret [...]

Why meditation does NOT make you a self-involved, zoned-out bliss-ninny. Here’s the polite version of a question I received recently about my support of mindfulness meditation as a practice for well-being in relationships: Why are you encouraging people to zone out? Sitting around pretending they’re above it all, and avoiding real feelings? Who wants to be [...]

A short, very readable piece by my favorite integrator, Dan Siegel, MD, on “The Science of the Mindful Brain.” Dan’s newest book, Mindsight, is now out, and at the very top of my reading list. His thinking about mindfulness, the brain, and living more fully are superb! By Dan Siegel, MD. All too often, the [...]

Mindfulness isn’t just something to do during meditation. Try integrating even one of these ideas into your daily rhythm. You’ll be getting the laundry done and rewiring your brain at the same time… From the March issues of Shambhala Sun. Wake with the sun There is no purer light than what we see when we [...]

This article in Shambhala Sun was how I first learned to do mindfulness meditation (although I had tried other forms of meditation before). I quite literally Googled “how to do mindfulness meditation” and found it. It was only later that I discovered all of the brain and relationship benefits being researched and documented — if [...]

From my perspective, having a full, authentic life is about having healthy, vibrant relationships — your relationship with yourself, with others you know, with the world at large, and/or with something greater, if that suits you. Without relationships, there can’t be much else. So how do you make changes in how you do your relationships? [...]

This type of brain imaging, fMRI, is considered the gold standard in research on the brain (and is used in many of the studies on meditation’s effects on the brain). I find it fascinating, and I’m glad to find more and more articles in less-technical jargon talking about it. Can a brain scanner decode your [...]

Family Thanksgiving craziness? Brain-rewiring meditation goes a long way. Most of us have a lovely vision of Thanksgiving: Driving along the road to Grandma’s house on a familiar road, graced by autumn leaves. We imagine being greeted by warmth and family, feeling grateful and eating our familiar favorites. The kids have made turkey drawings by [...]

You can re-wire your relationship brain. You have the technology. I’m a big fan of David Rock, a fellow blogger on PsychologyToday.com, whose recent post there spoke very compellingly about mindfulness, neuroscience, and how we think and experience the world. His focus is on how your brain works in a work setting, which he has [...]

Have you heard the one about the monk, the neuroscientist, and the tax-evading poet? The Dalai Lama was in Washington, DC a few days ago – not meeting with President Obama, but with world-class neuroscientists, national leaders and policy-makers on education, and advanced contemplatives, one of whom has been dubbed the Happiest Man in the [...]

Can firing the judge in your brain improve your chances at love? We all know that being judgmental isn’t a relationship-enhancer. And still, most of us step into that trap, doing damage to our relationships and friendships on a stubbornly regular basis. How about knocking that judge out with a one-two punch — taking the [...]

Being in a relationship – or trying to be – can feel like hitting your head against the same big brick wall over and over. What if there were a simple way to move that brick wall out of the way?  A way to change the helpless, worn-out, stuck-in-a-rut relationship patterns, and to really, really [...]

More than you might expect, the wiring of your brain for relationships is determined by some of your very earliest experiences in childhood. The good news is that you can re-wire your brain for better relationships, using simple, 2,500-year-old mind-training techniques that are as sure as a neurosurgeon, but without all the mess. The newest [...]

“Oh, yeah, wow, now I get it, that was amazing!” After meditating a few times, you might have a session where you feel something special, or where you feel particularly good afterwards. Great! And then… there are those inevitable “other” meditation sessions when it seems especially tedious, or boring, or like you can’t “get into [...]